just feel like you don't want to do this bird for some reason, or maybe you've had experience with some other kind of bird, if you guys want to go through your reference material you might find one that's a little easier to draw or paint maybe that's got a little different pose, maybe more of a silhouette. you could use a hawk or an owl or an eagle or some other osprey. you could do anything here. so if you're not sure you're happy with this one, it's going to be too difficult, please go to your own reference material, and that'll be your homework assignment ok. get all your tree limbs in here, find your reference material, make a rough sketch to make sure everything's proportioned, and then we'll finish it up. so god bless you, stay inspired, keep painting, and i promise i'm going to see you right here real soon on another yarnell school of fine art.

>> live from dw here in berlin, this is the "journal." >> barack obama and benjamin netanyahu reaffirm u.s.-israeli ties and stress a common stance against iran. >> bailout crisis meetings continue in cyprus as the central bank announces the banks

will remain shut until next week. >> and from berlin to the himalayan kingdom of bhutan, we asked what makes people smile on the international day of happiness. it is a visit heavier on symbolism than on substance. president barack obama is in israel right now, where he has promised america's enduring support for the jewish state. he also stressed the need for peace. >> but obama is not expected to provide new initiatives or policy moves in the area of the middle east peace process, which is secondary to israeli leaders when compared to the possibility of a nuclear iran. president obama and prime minister netanyahu have given a press conference. we will talk to our jerusalem

correspondent about that in a moment. >> but first, the israeli president said that president barack obama has a vision that can transform the middle east. the pair met earlier in jerusalem at the start of obama 's first visit to israel as u.s. president. >> the pair said they both thought the greatest danger in the region would be a nuclear- capable of man and that he trusted obama's policy to prevent that from happening. >> obama was greeted by children singing in hebrew, english, and arabic -- a heartwarming welcome for the u.s. president. but behind the smiles, there were serious issues to be discussed. the u.s. counts as israel's most powerful ally, but this is obama's first trip to the country since he took office. >> to reaffirm the unbreakable

bond between our nations, to restate america's unwavering commitment to israel's security, and to speak directly to the people of israel and to your neighbors. >> the israeli government hopes washington can help tackle the region's most pressing challenges. the upheavals triggered by the arabs spring have increased political instability, and the threat of iran's nuclear program is ever present, but not everyone is happy to see obama. palestinians in the occupied west bank and here on the gaza strip have been protesting. >> obama's visit shows that the u.s. is providing legitimacy and support to the occupation of our land. >> obama is scheduled to travel to the west bank and jordan before leaving the region on saturday. >> let's cross over now live to our correspondent, who is covering the president's visit for us. barack obama and benjamin netanyahu have not enjoyed the

warmest of relationships. how did they come across at the press conference? >> this was an interesting press conference. they tried to joke around. they clearly tried to show that at this time, they were trying to put personal differences aside. experts all say they might not become best friends, but they might find a way to try to work together. that is one of the angles of this visit. >> the tone against iran has taken on a new edge in this visit. are the israelis looking for u.s. support for possible military action? >> what we could hear from the press conference showed that both sides are moving closer to get there, but still, there are major differences. barack obama said they were trying to deal with the top -- the topic diplomatically still, but there were options on the

table. barack obama said in a recent interview that they would have time for that. >> what about the middle east peace process? is it on hold with the focus instead very much on iran and syria? >> one of the main topics of the press conference was a wrong, and it to yahoo made an interesting statement -- and netanyahu made an interesting statement about israel having the right to defend itself. barack obama says he is going tomorrow to talk with president abbas and that they were looking for steps to possibly get this peace process back on track. >> thank you so very much.

government leaders in cyprus are in crisis talks as they scramble to hammer out a plan be to save the island nation from bankruptcy. in an earlier setback, the finance minister failed to reach progress after two rounds of talks in moscow and assistance from russia. >> the cabinet is also looking at ways to prevent iran on the banks and limit capital from the country following a failed bid to lead the private accounts. banks will remain closed on thursday and friday. we will be hearing from our correspondent in nicosia in just a moment. >> representatives of the troika of -- the eu, imf, and ecb -- were in cyprus for emergency talks, but they failed to find a solution to the island nation's problems. the cypriot finance minister was in moscow asking for help from his russian counterpart. that was not forthcoming. for the time being at least.

>> there were no offers. nothing concrete. we are continuing discussions. we are happy with the beginning, and we look for to continuing the discussions. >> cypress has long been a tax haven for russian companies who have billions of euros in separate banks, but many russians who live on the island are outraged at the proposed levy on their savings. >> this country has cheated us and stolen our money. yes, stolen. it was not their money. we brought it here. we did not earn it here. >> for now, a separate account holders are relieved that parliament shot down the proposal. >> it was time to take a stand. they are sure to find a solution. the separate people are strong. we can take a lot. we have proven that before through many tough times.

>> the cypriot government is still searching for any viable solution. even the country's archbishop has offered to help by digging into the pockets of the church. 17 billion euros is the son the island needs to keep afloat, approximately equivalent to the country's economic output, and it is more than the eu is willing to put up without a signifant contributnrom cyprus itself. >>or more, we no w live to nicosia where our correspondent is monitoring events for us. after anchoring the russians with the deposit rate idea, cyprus has asked russia to extend it a financial lifeline. moscow has declined. cyprus is rapidly running out of options. what can it do now? >> i would not write off the russian talks just yet. we also understand that the separate energy minister is now in moscow as well.

he is a very important man because cyprus has recently discovered natural gas. i understand that the finance minister will have more meetings later, so bear in mind that the russian situation is not closed, but meetings have been going on this afternoon. we understand the president is working on a bill to limit money leaving cyprus and extending the bank closures in the short term. the banks will be closed on thursday and friday according to your peace there, but it will likely be closed thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, monday, and tuesday. by tuesday, we are looking at 10 days of closure. there is also some speculation that state pension funds may be rated in this revised plan, this so-called plan b, and we understand that some kind of cobbled plan will be presented to the troika tomorrow, but it

is a fluid situation. things are moving literally by the minute here, but we understand the president does have another meeting in the morning and that he may actually say something to the press. >> as you said, there is still the possibility of a deal being struck with russia. the troika has said if russia comes to the rescue, then detroit the offer is off the table. where does this leave them? >> that is a great question. it seems that cyprus are throwing all of their main people to moscow right now. there is such anger in nicosia, not just in governmental circles, but also, the general public are so angry with the eu and the troika that i get the feeling -- and it is widespread -- that if there is going to be a rapid pulled from a hat, it is going to be from moscow, and that is why we are seeing all these syrian officials in moscow with the minister of finance. and we just heard the energy minister there, as i told you,

so at the moment, it would seem to me that if there is a plan b, russia has something to do with it, so i would watch this space. >> thank you very much. >> certainly a lot happening. the no vote from nicosia comes just days before greece and its lenders resumed those delicate talks on the implementation of that country's bailout plan. the eu and especially prime lender germany have been pushing athens to make the spending cuts it has promised, but so far, it has failed to come forward. >> against this backdrop, the vote in cyprus is a true setback for chancellor angela merkel, just when she needed a victory with hard-hit eurozone economies contracting and german taxpayers nervous of the cost of bailouts. opposition parties are demanding the chancellor improve her track record. >> the fiscal cliffhanger in cyprus has turned into a major headache for angela merkel in her role as crisis manager.

for many on the island, germany as part of the problem, but she points out that the troika is the negotiating partner for any bailout, not germany. >> politically, it is important that cyprus create a sustainable banking sector for the future. their current model is not sustainable. >> merkel also stressed that the eu had requested a levy on private accounts above 100,000 euros and not the 20,000 suggested by cyprus' government, but the german government says the cyprus debacle is covered in angela merkel's fingerprints and she must find a solution. >> the chancellor must make sure that the deal is struck which represents the interests of cyprus and stabilizes the european economic zone. >> but according to mrs. merkel, the ball is now in cyprus' court. she says they must submit a fair

counterproposal first in what she expects to be tough counter negotiations. >> onto wednesday's market action now. european stocks snapped a three- day losing streak and locked in some pretty healthy gains as the region's policy makers weighed the future of cyprus in the euro area. we have a summary of the day's trading at the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the failure of the bank levy in cyprus had no impact at the markets. traders remained calm. no rescue package went through at the first attempt, they said. they are still optimistic that politicians will find a solution, but not everyone is so trustful. the world's largest bond dealer, a u.s. company pimco, reduced its euro investment, but its warnings have been ignored. the dax was on the upside thanks to gains in the banking sector.

>> we stay in frankfurt for a closer look at wednesday's market numbers. the dax finished the session up by nearly 0.7%. good to see that. the euro stoxx finishing up. the dow up by nearly 0.5%, following statements from ben bernanke at the fed. the euro trading higher against the greenback at a value of $ 1.2948. >> investigators in france have raided the home of the imf chief, christine lagarde, in connection with criticism stemming from her time as finance minister under nicholas sarkozy. >> they are probing a decision she made in 2007, which resulted in a 400 million euro payout by the french government to a disgraced tycoon, who was locked

in a dispute with a bank. she says the move was the best solution at the time, but investigators allege the affair is riddled with anomalies and say the decision was questionable. she is cooperating fully with the investigation. >> well, just how happy are you, really? and what is happiness? we will be looking at that question after a short break. stay with us.

>> thanks so very much for staying with us. >> and welcome back. it has been 10 years since the u.s. invasion of iraq. since the fall of saddam hussein, the nation remains plagued by corruption, violence, and sectarian division. >> among all of those, security is right now the biggest challenge. fighting has been spiking over the past weeks with the worst bombing in months yesterday in

the capital, baghdad. >> yet another car bombing. just one of dozens of attacks over the last two days targeting primarily shiite district in the iraqi capital. >> the terrorists want to destroy iraq by fuelling religious conflicts. >> exactly 10 years ago, the first bombs fell on baghdad. in just a few weeks, the invading coalition forces, led by the united states, overran the country. washington promised that the fall of saddam hussein would lead to greater peace and democracy in iraq. when the region did fall, iraq's longstanding power structures collapsed, and the shiite majority took power after decades of repression. sectarian violence erupted, and attacks became a common occurrence. coalition troops also found themselves in the cross hairs. in january 2005, iraq coast its

first free elections in more than 50 years. the shiite majority became the strongest player in the new parliament, but violence overshadowed the tea. with more than 1000 attacks per week in late 2006, iraq threatened to slide into civil war. in 2007, u.s. troops erected a wall around city districts in an attempt to stem the sectarian bloodshed. the sectarian wall still divides parts of baghdad 15 months after the exit of u.s. forces. the sunni minority has expressed anger at what it sees as repression at the hands of the shiite-backed government. unrest and violence continued to dominate life in iraq. >> in germany, a court has started hearing a case brought by relatives of people killed in an air strike in northern afghanistan in september 2009. the german commander in the area

ordered the nato air strike. >> at least 90 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in the air strike on two fuel tankers stolen by insurgents. berlin has already paid around 350,000 euros to the families of victims. they are seeking a total of 3.3 million in damages. >> after a very long political debate, the german interior minister says that germany will be providing asylum to at least 5000 more serious this year. no serious seeking refuge in europe have been taken in by germany and sweden. -- those serious seeking refuge in europe. >> priority has been given to young families and children who have lost parents in syria's civil war. christians escaping religious persecution have also been given preference in the asylum process. the united nations says over 1 million syrians have fled the fighting in the country, which

has so far claimed an estimated 70,000 lives. >> after months of discussions, the german cabinet has confirmed it is not going to push for the banning of the far right mpd party. >> at the same time, the government says it will support a bid by the german state launched a separate case to outlaw the party last september. >> domestic services say the party promotes racism and is working to subvert the constitutional order. a previous attempt in 2003 to ban the party backfired, and this time around, berlin is being especially cautious. >> angela merkel's cabinet spent months wrangling over whether to launch its own plan to outlaw the mpd. justice minister, herself from the fdp, explain why.

>> the government is focused on combating right wing extremism in our society by political means, and we intend to do everything it takes to achieve that. we must not limit our efforts to pursuing the ban in the courts, and it goes without saying, the evidence the government has gathered in support of a legal ban will be passed on to the federal states to support their case. >> the ministers declined to answer any questions after the announcement. the far-right party has only about 6000 members, but many are thought to be potentially violent neo-nazis. aided by the government to outlaw the party failed in 2003. members of the party hold seats in the regional parliaments of two of germany's 16 federal states. >> the european union says arab nations seeking financial

support need to make greater efforts to achieve long-term reforms in order to secure aid. in its latest progress report, the commission has said about egypt, tunisia, and libya for their lack of progress on human rights to use on from revolutions that saw authoritarian regimes toppled and usher in new governments. >> on the other hand, cairo is being praised for certain significant milestones, like the holding a presidential elections and the smooth transition from military to civilian law. but the european union says more needs to be done and is recommending fair and transparent parliamentary elections. >> this stance was considered a provocation outside offices of the muslim brotherhood in cairo. two years after the start of the arabs spring, the state and the people still have a tense relationship. that has drawn criticism from brussels.

>> political reforms are uneven. progress towards sustainable democracy is not always straightforward. >> in the you pose a progress report, egypt, tunisia, and morocco have come under fire for their weak commitment to basic legal principles, such as an independent judiciary. human rights, especially women's rights, and freedom of the press. the eu says financial support will be dependent on clear efforts to foster long-term reform. >> the transformation takes time, the transformation to bring the results. support of more and more active involvement. >> that is exactly what these young to nations believe. -- what these young tunisians

believe. they hope they can act as a voice to the state for the citizens. >> time now for a look at some other stories making headlines. south korean authorities are investigating a cyber attacks on two major banks and three broadcasters. the company [applause] internet security agency says files were deleted from some of the computers and others were not able to boot. the agency says it will take time to identify who was behind the attack. >> in a guatemala, a former dictator has gone on trial on charges of genocide, accused of ordering the killings of more than 1700 ethnic lines during his 1-year rule in the 1980's. >> a draft ban on so-called assault weapons in the u.s. has been dropped from proposed gun legislation. the senate majority leader said there was not enough support to pass the ban, which was

proposed after last year's school massacre in newtown, connecticut. >> ok, march 20 has been designated the first ever international day of happiness. nearly a year ago, the united nations decided that the pursuit of happiness should be a fundamental human goal. >> but what exactly is happiness? is it strictly material? emotional? spiritual? here is a look at what it means to some people. >> happiness is sometimes a matter of simple pleasures, like a beautiful spring day or a good meal. for many people, children bring happiness. others use shopping to lift their mood. consumer spending boost the economy and helps fill the national coffers, which makes the government happy. gross domestic product or gdp is a key measure of economic activity, but it is not a

reflective measure of psychological well-being. >> gdp is necessary to steer monetary policy. deciding weather to increase or lower interest rates to stabilize the economy -- it is ideal for that, but it is inadequate as a measure of well- being. >> research backs of the old cliche that money cannot buy happiness. studies show that people from industrialized countries with annualized incomes above 60,000 euros are not necessarily have here. wealthier scandinavian countries to report happiness. in denmark, the satisfaction is attributed to its generous welfare state and low unemployment. according to the world happened is report, finns and norwegians are also content. germany ranks 30th and is in the top quarter of countries surveyed. african nations are among the least happy. a german parliamentary group is examining weather to include happiness in germany's gdp calculation, making it more of

-- more than a summary of exports. >> many people are now working on it. >> the tiny himalayan kingdom of bhutan is already doing that. the right to happiness is even written into the constitution of the buddhist country. the government releases its gross national happiness index every year. >> written in the constitution. >> that's right. it is important to be hiking in the himalayas to get a feeling of happiness, but let's spread it around. when we come back at the top of the hour, we will have more news. and in our next bulletin, we will have the latest report from cyprus and from the president of the united states and his visit to israel. stay with us for that. >> until then.